IDF attacks targets in South Lebanon
UNIFIL forces in South Lebanon refused an Israeli request to move five kilometers to the north to avoid the fighting and allow the troops to complete clearing villages along the border of Hezbollah fighters so that the residents of the north can return safely to their homes.
UNIFIL claimed the IDF was endangering their troops after Israeli tanks took up positions near the peacekeeping force.
Ireland, which has 347 of its soldiers deployed among the UN force's 10,000-strong presence in Lebanon, refused the IDF's request, even though 30 Irish soldiers were deployed close to the fighting.
The government in Dublin officially told Israel that it refuses to move the UNIFIL force, resulting in an exchange of blame between the Israeli embassy there and Irish President Michael Higgins, a known critic of Israel.
“It is outrageous that the Israel Defense Forces have threatened this peacekeeping force and sought to have them evacuate the villages they are defending," Higgins said earlier this week adding that Israel is in violation of UN resolution 1701.
“There is an obligation on Israel and Hezbollah to respect the role of UN peacekeepers and their mandate, and do nothing that would put peacekeepers and our troops in particular in harm’s way," he said.
The Israeli embassy in Dublin said in a statement that the accusation that Israeli troops threatened peacekeepers was false and that the IDF asked UNIFIL to move north for their own safety.
"Let's be clear, the peacekeeping forces have great importance in Israel. The attempt to describe their actions as a threat to UNIFIL is another baseless and defamatory charge, the likes of which we have observed in recent months," the embassy said in a statement.
UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Teneti said the peacekeeping force will continue to carry out its duties. "UN continues to be in contact with the relevant actors on both sides of the Blue Line to de-escalate the situation," he said.
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